View Full Version : Streaming
Which streaming service do you guys use,
I use Deezer, Amazon, my daughter uses spotifi, Does anyone use Tidal.
Which one in your opinion is the best to use including value for money. bit rates, sound etc.
AJSki2fly
01-03-2019, 15:16
Which streaming service do you guys use,
I use Deezer, Amazon, my daughter uses spotifi, Does anyone use Tidal.
Which one in your opinion is the best to use including value for money. bit rates, sound etc.
I use TIDAL, Spotify is poor quality but fine if you are just listening on the go on mobile device, Amazon What HiFi review "Amazon has been coy about revealing its streaming bitrate, claiming to support 'multiple bitrates’, but we’d bet our reference hi-fi system that it’s not dissimilar from Spotify’s 320kbps streams. At best.".
Deezer has a variety of streaming SQ plans and can go top to FLAC on:-
TechRadar review for Deezer:-
"Final verdict
Every streaming service has its strengths and weaknesses. Where Tidal seems to offer the best curated content, Spotify puts friends' music front and center. Apple Music has the best mainstream music anywhere on the planet, while Google Play Music integrates perfectly with Android devices. Deezer's secret sauce is its massive, global music library and cornucopia of HD tracks.
Admittedly, its apps have a ways to go to catch up to the rest of the pack, and its curated lists are severely hurting in terms of more frequent additions. But, ultimately, it's a fine music streaming service for the globetrotting audiophile or Sonos-equipped music snob."
Personally I use TIDAL via Volumio to my Raspberry Pi/DAC to HiFi system. If I want Hi Res then I run Audirvana on my MacBook Pro and access TIDAL through that, if I am just easy listening to general playlists then I will use the TIDAL app on iPhone to iPad to Volumio or on headphones.
I have not tried Deezer so can't comment on it SQ compared to what I use.
ive tried them all bar itunes:eyebrows:
Amazon; variable bit rates, and not great overall but price is decent if you use amazon prime etc.
Spotty; is excellent for a non flac and with an eq fitted sounds very good.
Deezer; Lower bit version is hot, and tiresome. their flac is very good tho. good catalogue too.
Tidal; Was the daddy, and probably still is value for money wise, if you can utilise the masters.
Qoboz; been trialing this for a while. its very good; the hi rez is a bit pricey tho, and not tried it. Catalogue isny as good but i do like it even if the windows app refuses to work properly if at all.
overall, if spotty dit hirez they would be numero uno but dont so crown overall stays currently with tidal, although i do like qoboz so, we shall see...
Manicatel
01-03-2019, 21:35
Best for SQ are Tidal & Qobuz.
Spotify has the largest library of all.
Qobuz has the best library if you are primarily interested in classical music.
Spotify, Apple & Amazon are all great for more casual listening, ie on a mobile device or on a Sonos speaker for instance.
Tidal at first glance seems to highlight the type of music manufactured by the celebrity owners, but in reality there is a massive catalogue for most tastes.
Most will give a months free trial to help you work out which is best for you.
I settled on Tidal with the top tier Hifi stream, £20 a month. Sounds a lot at first, but it stops me from wasting at least that much on cd’s or lps that I previously would have bought on a whim. Tidal neatly integrates into Audirvana which I also use.
disarmamant
02-03-2019, 14:35
I use Qobuz Studio with Roon direct to Roon ready Devialet 440 Pro. Roon Eliminates the use of the Qobuz front ends.
I did not like Tidal as the classical catalog is not as good as Qobuz.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Theadmans
02-03-2019, 19:03
I also use Qobuz Studio (lossless CD quality + Hi-Res 24/96 + 24/192 where available)....
.....£25 a month seems reasonable for this level of quality.
Tried Tidal but did not work well with the Orange Squeeze android app I use to control my Raspberry Pi / Wolfson Audio card combo. I stream my Pi running SqueezeLite linked to Logitech Media Server as a cheap Squeezebox clone (outputting via coax on the Wolfson card to my DAC).
Qobuz works well in my setup and is particularly good in providing the jazz and classical side of stuff (as well as French classics like Serge Gainsbourg of course).
.....Some say the sound quality of Qobuz lossless is better than Tidal.
I also use Qobuz Studio (lossless CD quality + Hi-Res 24/96 + 24/192 where available)....
.....£25 a month seems reasonable for this level of quality.
Tried Tidal but did not work well with the Orange Squeeze android app I use to control my Raspberry Pi / Wolfson Audio card combo. I stream my Pi running SqueezeLite linked to Logitech Media Server as a cheap Squeezebox clone (outputting via coax on the Wolfson card to my DAC).
Qobuz works well in my setup and is particularly good in providing the jazz and classical side of stuff (as well as French classics like Serge Gainsbourg of course).
.....Some say the sound quality of Qobuz lossless is better than Tidal.The Jane birkin album on qoboz is a smasher.
disarmamant
02-03-2019, 19:54
.....Some say the sound quality of Qobuz lossless is better than Tidal.
Definitely better than Tidal.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I am sorry and this is not dissing anyone who uses these services but i do not see the point. I have 55,000 tracks all in Flac mainly from CD rips on my hard drive . I will never have enough time to listen to them all but they are all music that I bought and own. Whenever i try a streaming service I input twentlt racks that i like and listen to quite a bit , so far three is the maximum number that any of the streamign services has so sadly it is just not for me.
Cycleallday
03-03-2019, 10:16
I also prefer to use my own catalogue which is cloud based so I have access from anywhere I have internet access. I also use many of the excellent web based radio stations for background music.
However I find the free Spotify excellent for finding and trying new music and artists.
I am not a fan of subscription music services but I think that's more the era i come from but I see many people like them and it does give access to a fantastic variety of music we would otherwise may never be aware of let alone hear.
Mel
I also prefer to use my own catalogue which is cloud based so I have access from anywhere I have internet access. I also use many of the excellent web based radio stations for background music.
However I find the free Spotify excellent for finding and trying new music and artists.
I am not a fan of subscription music services but I think that's more the era i come from but I see many people like them and it does give access to a fantastic variety of music we would otherwise may never be aware of let alone hear.
MelThat's exactly what I do, which is why I'm reluctant to go to Roon and Qobuz even though I have a voucher to get Roon cheaper.
I tend to listen to radio stations then use Spotify to find the album then add it to a Spotify playlist for a full listen.
If I really like it I then try and buy the CD or the LP.
I do however have a Family Sub for Spotify so my kids and grandkids can use it too.
If I really like it I then try and buy the CD or the LP.
I do that too. Helps the artist out too
Well my end to end trial between qobuz and tidal produced a winner, but a loser... qobuz is i feel slightly better than tidal audibly, but as their win 10 app wont do anything bar freeze, I cant use it. It can be used in other ways but not sure i should compromise when being asked for £20 a month.
shame but nothing has changed. ive told them again but sure i will get the usual, just download the app here shite from them...they appear to have no interest.
i might add i tried it with no security on and still same so not the pc which can run pretty much anything with plenty memory and fast processor.
mightymonoped
02-04-2019, 14:23
Well my end to end trial between qobuz and tidal produced a winner, but a loser... qobuz is i feel slightly better than tidal audibly, but as their win 10 app wont do anything bar freeze, I cant use it. It can be used in other ways but not sure i should compromise when being asked for £20 a month.
shame but nothing has changed. ive told them again but sure i will get the usual, just download the app here shite from them...they appear to have no interest.
i might add i tried it with no security on and still same so not the pc which can run pretty much anything with plenty memory and fast processor.
I gave up on Qobuz after I found their IOS app was pretty much unusable.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have Spotify Family, mainly because my two daughters and both grandkids use it too.
I also have Tidal HiFi for my main system in the living room. Tried it vs Qobuz and Tidal won out due to Qobuz having far too few of the artists and albums that I like.
TIDAL on lossless. Also Spotify Premium as it has a deeper catalogue. £30 a month, way better than what I used to spend on CDs and records. :P
I love spotty but it didn't work with AV. program. I will still get qobuz for a month.
I did try the windows program on another pc but it was the same. That one is zbook
Primalsea
03-04-2019, 07:11
I have a basic Spotify account and Amazon Prime, plus I use internet radio pretty much all the time, as the reception here is not great. I only really use the streaming services to find new stuff that I like.
Pepperamip
03-04-2019, 07:26
If it came down to usability Spotify wins hands down imo it just doesn't have that top end quality most of us want.
Therefore its Tidal hifi through Audirvana for me. AV kept getting recommended to me and it hasn't dissapointed.
Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
mightymonoped
03-04-2019, 08:01
TIDAL on lossless. Also Spotify Premium as it has a deeper catalogue. £30 a month, way better than what I used to spend on CDs and records. :P
Same for me (although both are still missing quite a bit from their catalogues). Also covers all the options as I can recommend music to others through Spotify, listen on the road in better quality via Tidal and listen to both my music collection and native Tidal content via the headless Volumio interface on my phone.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
got a reply from Qobuz.... we are working on our app. why dont you just use audirvana; its good..... My reply will be why dont you refund me 10 quid a month till you fix it. that might get some urgency into you.:doh::rolleyes:
Radio Paradise Volumio plug in, good quality flac streaming for free.
I have Spotify Family, mainly because my two daughters and both grandkids use it too.
I also have Tidal HiFi for my main system in the living room. Tried it vs Qobuz and Tidal won out due to Qobuz having far too few of the artists and albums that I like.
Ditto (sans grandkids!).
Tidal is on currently with a 90 day trial, so I may well give it a go. (Currently Spotify premium family membership which I would keep anyway) but a few questions if someone can help?
1. Can you save tracks to your device with Tidal like you can Spotify (either to play when offline, or to save bandwidth when the kids are watching YouTube :rolleyes:
2. Assuming I can install it onto more than one computer, can you control which devices it plays on like with Spotify - i.e. I have it playing on one computer or device can I make on the fly changes to tracks playing and volume from another laptop?
3. Can I play my own FLAC library through it? (One really annoying limitation of Spotify...)
I can't think of anything else at the moment, and probably best for me to just have a play, but I would very much appreciate any advice on the above questions - thanks in advance. :cool:
I took the plunge and downloaded Tidal on Saturday, so am now evaluating it. In summary, the sound quality is fantastic compared to Spotify, and so far I haven't found any of my favourite albums that are on Spotify that are missing. I am loving the "Masters" too, get quite excited when I find one of my favourite albums is a master!
However, in the usability stakes, Spotify is so much better. I've updated the questions I posed below, but the big deal for me is the lack of the Spotify Connect type function, where I can just open the app on a phone or tablet and control the music. I'm using Windows RDP from laptop to hi-fi rig, which sort of works, but isn't ideal. I'll be keeping Spotify anyway, so I see that it will end up being my mobile app, and for background music, Tidal will become my hi-fi source. Will also investigate some of the other players like Volumio and Audirvana as they look like they may offer a better option in combining my FLAC library with Tidal in the same interface.
1. Can you save tracks to your device with Tidal like you can Spotify (either to play when offline, or to save bandwidth when the kids are watching YouTube :rolleyes:
Update 18/06: You can only save tracks for offline use to mobile devices (phone/tablet.)
2. Assuming I can install it onto more than one computer, can you control which devices it plays on like with Spotify - i.e. I have it playing on one computer or device can I make on the fly changes to tracks playing and volume from another laptop?
Update 18/06: You can install on more than one device, but they are all standalone players and don't "talk" to each other
3. Can I play my own FLAC library through it? (One really annoying limitation of Spotify...)
Update: 18/06: No
Ali Tait
18-06-2019, 10:17
I use Tidal through Roon, give that a go and see what you think. You can play your ripped files through it.
Stratmangler
18-06-2019, 10:43
Like Ali, I am currently running Tidal with another serving application - in my case it's piCoreplayer running LMS.
Access to my FLAC library is simple, and access to Tidal straightforward enough. Same with Spotify.
The only issue (if it's an issue) is the need to access the Tidal web player to add or remove things from my virtual library.
LMS is freeware, and it's very stable, coz it's mature.
They've been at it longer than most.
Definitely better than Tidal.
Agreed.
Recently cancelled Tidal after doing comparisons and Qobuz won out every time, to my ears, at every bitrate even 16/44.
Qobuz 24/192 version of Allman Brothers at the Filmore is terrific, best live record experience I've heard.
Definitely better than Tidal.
Agreed.
Recently cancelled Tidal after doing comparisons and Qobuz won out every time, to my ears, at every bitrate even 16/44.
Qobuz 24/192 version of Allman Brothers at the Filmore is terrific, best live record experience I've heard.
Love Spotify for hearing new music, the link to Shazam is really great when your out n about and you hear something new you like.
Usually look for it then on Qobuz.
If it's not there I can happily live with Spotify 320K MP3.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Cheers lads. Roon does look like it might do what I would need but is a lot of dosh! I'll give LMS a go first, I think. And best try Qobuz then by the look of it. :thumbsup: Thanks again. :)
Cheaper version of roon is audirvana. Some say it sounds better too, although i dont know.
I liked qoboz but their windows app never works so i ditched them.
Tbh i dont think sound wise there is much between them when i ran them side by side in audirvana.
Ali Tait
18-06-2019, 13:04
Haven’t tried Qobuz yet, must give them a go.
Stratmangler
18-06-2019, 15:20
I liked Qobuz when I trialled it - it also works well with LMS.
I'm only using Tidal at the moment because of the free 3 month trial.
I’m a Roon fanboy nowadays, and it’s the Tidal/ Qobuz integration that got me hooked on it.
Make playlists, fav albums etc no different to your own locally stored music files.
Controlled from a tablet from your favourite listening chair, it’s a wee bit fab.
I knew coming back here was going to cost me money! :lol:
Stratmangler
18-06-2019, 18:56
I knew coming back here was going to cost me money! :lol:
Only if you want to throw money in someone's direction.
LMS is F.O.C. ;)
Only if you want to throw money in someone's direction.
LMS is F.O.C. ;)
Yeah, thanks again Chris, that will be my first port of call - I've done a bit of reading on it, looks good. I'm supposed to be moving shortly, so will probably hold fire on anything until I've decided what kit is going to go where in the new house.
Stratmangler
18-06-2019, 19:11
There is a minor downside to using LMS - the Tidal and Qobuz apps do not have active integration with the content providers.
The fix is you need to log in via the web interface on your computer and add or remove stuff - artists, albums playlists, whatever.
Once added you can access the new content via LMS using the relevant app.
I'm old school and play albums, so I'm still trying to work out wtf a playlist is for :lol:
Latest rumour is that Amazon may launch a high rez (probably 24/96) service this year sometime. If they manage to offer this at a reasonable cost this could be a knock out blow for players such as Tidal etc.
Definitely better than Tidal.
Agreed.
Recently cancelled Tidal after doing comparisons and Qobuz won out every time, to my ears, at every bitrate even 16/44.
Qobuz 24/192 version of Allman Brothers at the Filmore is terrific, best live record experience I've heard.I found the reverse when I did that test a couple of years ago now. Maybe more... maybe something has changed.
The TIDAL mobile app is excellent. The Windows app much less so.
But the more recent tailored to your tastes TIDAL playlists are surprisingly really friggin' good I have found. Or when an album ends it carries on playing similar stuff and that's great too.
If you want the best from Queerbuz it looks expensive.
Cheaper version of roon is audirvana. Some say it sounds better too, although i dont know.
I liked qoboz but their windows app never works so i ditched them.
Tbh i dont think sound wise there is much between them when i ran them side by side in audirvana.Audirvana is a joke on Windows. It just doesn't work it's so full of bugs.
That's a warning - in no way pay for Windows Audirvana without trying the demo and you will see what I mean.
Gosh, the Amazon service sounds interesting.
Think I'll just take it steady and try a few of the trial players. To be fair, Spotify Premium is just so convenient and user friendly I will be keeping it for mobile use and kitchen system to bluetooth speakers (not to mention the kids phones) so Tidal interface on a PC is probably fine for my two main rigs. Just wish it could be controlled remotely by the app like you can with Spotify. Grant is right - Spotify with hi-res would probably kill everything. I wonder why they don't want to do it?
Audirvana is a joke on Windows. It just doesn't work it's so full of bugs.
That's a warning - in no way pay for Windows Audirvana without trying the demo and you will see what I mean.What bit didn't work Justin? Works fine with me.
Just compared Tidal Masters to Qobuz Hi Rez via Volumino and Qobuz won every time with a sweeter more detailed sound.
Not cheap mind!
There is a minor downside to using LMS - the Tidal and Qobuz apps do not have active integration with the content providers.
The fix is you need to log in via the web interface on your computer and add or remove stuff - artists, albums playlists, whatever.
Once added you can access the new content via LMS using the relevant app.
I'm old school and play albums, so I'm still trying to work out wtf a playlist is for :lol:
Remember back in the day, you would pick songs off your albums and record them onto a cassette! And make yourself a compilation tape, so you could have a few hours of favorite songs to enjoy, while having a party, or making out with your girl. That’s what a play list is! Same thing, start the play list, and only hear your favorites.
Russell
Stratmangler
19-06-2019, 09:10
Remember back in the day, you would pick songs off your albums and record them onto a cassette! And make yourself a compilation tape, so you could have a few hours of favorite songs to enjoy, while having a party, or making out with your girl. That’s what a play list is! Same thing, start the play list, and only hear your favorites.
Russell
Compilation tape?!!
What is this strangeness of which you speak?
My playlists have always been stick the album on, and listen to it.
What bit didn't work Justin? Works fine with me.
Grant are you using Windows 10 and the 64 bit Audirvana?
All of it doesn't work - crashes a lot, stops during playback etc etc. Couldn't even listen to two complete tracks.
It tries to buffer the entire track before playback and it even had difficulty doing that.
Total POS.
BTW I only tried it using TIDAL streams.
Grant are you using Windows 10 and the 64 bit Audirvana?
All of it doesn't work - crashes a lot, stops during playback etc etc. Couldn't even listen to two complete tracks.
It tries to buffer the entire track before playback and it even had difficulty doing that.
Total POS.
BTW I only tried it using TIDAL streams.
Yup win 10. 64bit on 2 machines.
Ive ran qobuz before and it was fine in av. Tidal is also perfect, and never had an issue bar a few glitches which were fixed quickly.
It should offer updates as long as you start it from the start menu.
Only thing you might get if pc is struggling with memory is if u try dsd upscaling etc.
My fasted machine manages ok but my other one struggles and crashes if i try dsd as its memory isnt high enough.
Minstrel SE
19-06-2019, 10:05
I dont get it yet. Im not even sure my music listening habits are suited to streaming.
If Im pottering arround I put the radio on whether thats classical music or radio 6. Im technically paying for that so I may as well use it. Its background music which may spark my real attention or not
I have thousands of tracks on I tunes so can build a playlist from there. ( most in CD quality rips) Ive got around 500 cds many of which I havent even listened to yet
I can buy bin bags full of cds for a tenner.
I also need to spend lots of time playing computer games.
Now just where does music streaming fit into all of that?? Ive seen Hotels and shops use spotify to build a mood playlist. Da Kids seem to like it but I feel their experiences are shallow just like facebook
So please sell it to me. How the hell does it enhance my musical experiences?
So please sell it to me. How the hell does it enhance my musical experiences?
Well for me, it's mainly about the convenience - I often work from home in the dining room, (used to have an office but that became the kids play room...) and I have one setup in there - an old laptop feeding into a cheap DAC - main system in the living room is similar - and then where ultimate sound quality isn't as important (in the kitchen, upstairs and outside systems) I use an old iPod touch and a couple of old mobile phones - with Spotify, I can control any of those from my iPad, another laptop or phone. (Granted, can't alter the volume on the iPod/mobiles). If I'm working, cooking, gardening or whatever, I don't want to be changing CDs or LPs. I also use it through my car's bluetooth on my main mobile.
But the main thing streaming has done is introduce me to new music and save me money - I now rarely buy a CD or LP - if I do, it's because I have checked it out on Spotify and really liked it. Before, I would buy 10 or 20 CDs a month, many of which have had one play and then sat in the cupboard. I also think in my main setups streaming sounds better than CDs.
The only downside is I sometimes miss the physical experience of an LP and even CD.
But of course, everyone's different.
But the main thing streaming has done is introduce me to new music and save me money - I now rarely buy a CD or LP - if I do, it's because I have checked it out on Spotify and really liked it.
Yep, that's it in a nutshell...
Yup win 10. 64bit on 2 machines.
Ive ran qobuz before and it was fine in av. Tidal is also perfect, and never had an issue bar a few glitches which were fixed quickly.
It should offer updates as long as you start it from the start menu.
Only thing you might get if pc is struggling with memory is if u try dsd upscaling etc.
My fasted machine manages ok but my other one struggles and crashes if i try dsd as its memory isnt high enough.
I have just tried it again. Its up to date and it is still a complete mess. Running it on a high spec Dell laptop.
I find it seriously hard to believe you find it OK. It's a complete crock on my machine. Something is seriously up with it. I tried it a while back and it was even worse. Just got another runtime error... within a minute of using it.
I consider streaming services like a library. Tidal (as well as spotify etc) allows me to explore in depth particular artists, composers, conductors, genres and so forth. It is simply not cost effective to do the same by buying CDs, vinyl or books (in the case of a library).
In addition, I've enabled Tidal via Roon, and I let Roon make recommendations via Roon Radio - discovered tons of stuff I would never have simply by buying CDs.
But of course a downside with streaming services is that it requires an internet connection.
current version seems to be audirvana plus 1.3.7 (1063). if its not working i would uninstall it all removing it all and reistall. see if that fixes it.
also check your settings on the dac your using.
All the folk I know using it dont have issues. you could also take the debug info and send it to them. they have a support email.
current version seems to be audirvana plus 1.3.7 (1063). if its not working i would uninstall it all removing it all and reistall. see if that fixes it.
also check your settings on the dac your using.
All the folk I know using it dont have issues. you could also take the debug info and send it to them. they have a support email.No there have been a few posts on here complaining about it (the recent and apparently also buggy Mac version).
I am a software engineer Grant. Have been for 36 years. I am not debugging their software for them.
Will cross check your version number with mine out of curiosity.
scotty38
19-06-2019, 11:57
I liked Qobuz when I trialled it - it also works well with LMS.
I eventually caved in and bought myself a Node2 to run Qobuz. I had used LMS since 2006 so was well versed in messing with Linux etc but just couldn't be bothered to set up a Pi etc. The main reason for the move from LMS and my Squeezebox Classic was that I couldn't get the Qobuz plugin working properly. Well it all worked, except for the highres tracks. I searched and searched and messed about but couldn't get it to do anything other than stutter. Couldn't find any instance of any other user having the issue either so I gave up in the end, enter the Node 2
Stratmangler
19-06-2019, 14:05
I eventually caved in and bought myself a Node2 to run Qobuz. I had used LMS since 2006 so was well versed in messing with Linux etc but just couldn't be bothered to set up a Pi etc. The main reason for the move from LMS and my Squeezebox Classic was that I couldn't get the Qobuz plugin working properly. Well it all worked, except for the highres tracks. I searched and searched and messed about but couldn't get it to do anything other than stutter. Couldn't find any instance of any other user having the issue either so I gave up in the end, enter the Node 2
The Classic will play files up to 24/48 resolution natively.
It won't play 24/96 natively.
If the transcode was adjusted I'd expect things to stutter on the player.
scotty38
19-06-2019, 14:28
Thanks, that explains a lot and with hindsight should have been obvious. It wouldn't have changed the path I took but I may well have got there sooner!
Stratmangler
19-06-2019, 14:45
You might have been experiencing issues with the app not liking the necessary transcode.
You probably would have been OK using a Squeezebox Touch with EDO installed (ie using the Touch as a transport into a 24/192 DAC over the coax SPDIF).
My setup incorporates a Squeezebox Touch doing precisely that.
When my Tidal trial comes to an end I might well give the Qobuz Hi-Res thing a trial run.
I haven't played with that service yet - the last time was the standard FLAC service.
scotty38
19-06-2019, 15:49
Yep maybe that would have worked but to be fair I always viewed the touch as a Classic with a bigger screen, I didn't realise it had more capability. I ended up using the classic into a Project S2 Pre that made no difference and I played about with all the settings I could find in LMS but again no difference, too late though as it's in my "Old HiFi" box now :-)
prompted by this thread I've given Audirvarna (AV) another go. Can't recall what my issues were on the two occasions before.
Summary: I'm sticking with Roon. :)
- downloaded and installed AV. System is Win10 Pro. Install worked on second attempt. Got 'stuck' on first attempt.
- Within AV enabled local files to be seen as well as enabled Tidal - just fine.
- Pressed play - nothing - scratch head - ok I need to direct to correct audio output. Set up did not ask which output I wanted, it just chose the first one it saw. Not good.
- Found setting to change audio output. AV prompts me to stop playing - fine - pressed 'stop' - tried to change audio output - AV freezes. Have to crash out.
- Restart AV - change audio output - works - pressed play - music! Hoorah! :)
- Play various tracks I know well. Good rounded sound. Nothing offensive. Nice presentation. Engaging.
- But something just 'not quite right'. So play some tracks in AV and Roon to compare. Everything the same other than player. Same ASIO driver, same machine, same DAC, same source tracks, same everything.
- Opinion: Transients are 'softer' in AV as compared to Roon. Attack and decay just that much softer and 'rounded'. So presentation slightly smoother but missing some attack and dynamism. Main album used for comparison was 'passion, grace and fire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passion,_Grace_and_Fire)' which has lots of fast transients.
- Whilst playing had an ugly error (something to do with an unhandled error: index being out of range). Not impressed.
There were a few other things that Roon does it for me, but the main thing is its remote control facility. Can't find similar for AV (but happy to be corrected). RDP as a controller works but a bit clunky.
E
Well I installed Logitech Media Server, installed some clients on the laptops and got it working with my own FLAC library, got Spotify working, but can't seem to get Tidal to work... I've installed the App and have the plugin so not sure what I've done wrong. One for another day.
Stratmangler
20-06-2019, 08:33
Well I installed Logitech Media Server, installed some clients on the laptops and got it working with my own FLAC library, got Spotify working, but can't seem to get Tidal to work... I've installed the App and have the plugin so not sure what I've done wrong. One for another day.
You need to go to www.mysqueezebox.com and create an account.
Whilst you're there you can add the Tidal app.
In LMS you need to go to settings/mysqueezebox.com and enter your login details. Make sure that integration is enabled.
Go back to www.mysqueezebox.com and the Tidal app, go to player settings, and under status set things to enable, and under home set things to display on home menu.
Your LMS installation should now talk to www.mysqueezebox.com and give you Tidal integration.
You can search for stuff using the Tidal app, but if you want to build a library you need to enter things from the main internet Tidal login player.
Cheers Chris - appreciate the advice - I think you are correct that it is related to the account as I hadn't confirmed the email I got when I set it up... Doh! Will have another play later. Thanks again.
Sent from my I3113 using Tapatalk
Stratmangler
24-06-2019, 10:15
Didja manage to get it working?
Nope. The problem seems to be that mysqueezebox doesn't think I have any players. I uninstalled everything, setup a brand new account with a different email address and made sure I followed your steps but still doesn't see any players. I thought it might be firewall, but both player app (Squeezelight-X) and LMS are allowed through. I tried Plex just to make sure it wasn't a problem with Tidal and that worked fine. (Although It's crap!)
Not really sure what I can try next. Works great with everything else including Spotify. The only other thing I've noticed under settings is than when I put in the password and click apply, it then goes blank should it? (I would have expected to see dots like you do in the server control panel?)
https://i.imgur.com/O4AieT3.png
https://i.imgur.com/or9PuYS.png
https://i.imgur.com/WJScawo.png
https://i.imgur.com/2mxEfo0.png
Am I doing something obviously wrong?
Stratmangler
24-06-2019, 12:20
It might be because you're using a purely software player.
I'll have a play with Squeezelite-x and see what happens.
Spectral Morn
24-06-2019, 12:32
I use You Tube for discovering new music, its free and I don't care re the resolution because I will be buying the physical media afterwards, if I like it.
I just don't understand subscription/player based streaming where you pay big money for nothing, you own nothing at the end.
I have bought the odd thing off the back of internet radio too, those stations that state what they are playing are very helpful in this regard.
It might be because you're using a purely software player.
I'll have a play with Squeezelite-x and see what happens.
Cheers buddy. That's what I'm thinking, because you can't actually log into mysqueezebox with the software players. (I tried another one (SqueezePlay) on the laptop, and an Android one on the mobile phone but they didn't show up either.)
It's not the end of the world if I don't get it working - I think I'll stick with LMS anyway as it works great with my FLAC library and the ability to play on multiple players at the same time is fab. I can easily use RDP for Tidal if I decide to stick with it after the trial - which I may not do anyway.
thingfish
24-06-2019, 12:52
I use You Tube for discovering new music, its free and I don't care re the resolution because I will be buying the physical media afterwards, if I like it.
I just don't understand subscription/player based streaming where you pay big money for nothing, you own nothing at the end.
I have bought the odd thing off the back of internet radio too, those stations that state what they are playing are very helpful in this regard.
+1 Neil.
:clapclapclap:
I've always assumed that to use the squeeze software you needed to have a physical squeezebox as a player endpoint. But from the most recent posts it seems that this is not the case, instead squeezebox software emulation is in some way possible? Is that correct?
If so I may give it a try.
What is the general overview please? Is it something like the following?
- Install server software. Which is?
- Install player software. Which is?
- Create an account at mysqeezebox. enable Tidal, spoty etc there?
- Login at the server and player apps relevant details above?
- What remote controller can I use on my phone or iPad?
Can this be operated over a LAN?
cheers. :)
I've always assumed that to use the squeeze software you needed to have a physical squeezebox as a player endpoint. But from the most recent posts it seems that this is not the case, instead squeezebox software emulation is in some way possible? Is that correct?
If so I may give it a try.
What is the general overview please? Is it something like the following?
- Install server software. Which is?
- Install player software. Which is?
- Create an account at mysqeezebox. enable Tidal, spoty etc there?
- Login at the server and player apps relevant details above?
- What remote controller can I use on my phone or iPad?
Can this be operated over a LAN?
cheers. :)
Hi Edward, just a quick reply for now as I'm working, but yes, so far I have installed Logitech Media Server on my main music server, and then used Squeezelite-X as a software player (as well as SqueezePlay - which is almost an exact replica of an actual player's screen) onto two other laptops. I'm then able to stream around the LAN to the two other laptops. I had to buy an Android player (SB Player - around £4 I think) as couldn't find a free one for my mobile which I use in the kitchen with bluetooth speakers.
Spotify is quite easy to integrate, but the bit I'm struggling with is Tidal - which we are theorising might be the lack of physical players, as you don't appear to be able to log into the mysqueezebox account via the software players, although you can set it in the server settings.
But if all you want is a good free music server and soft players to use on either the server or other PCs it seems to work very well - one big advantage is that you can synchronise the players into a group and play the same on all of them at the same time - including Spotify, which has long been a bugbear of mine as I like to have the same music playing in different rooms/outside. I haven't tested this much though, so I am slightly sceptical in won't sync 100% until further playing.
PS - not been able to find an iOS player - there may be a remote on the Apple app store, though.
cheers Alex, that is very helpful. I'm gonna find some time and try all that. Just interested as to how it works really. I use Roon which does all that.
E
§
I use Roon which does all that.
To be honest, Roon is probably what I should do, but I'm too tight! ;)
I haven't tried it yet - I'm supposed to be moving house, so am holding off until then I think, once I've decided where everything will go in the new place. For the moment, LMS seems to do most of what I need at zero cost (and so far, very reliably.)
To be honest, Roon is probably what I should do, but I'm too tight! ;)
I haven't tried it yet - I'm supposed to be moving house, so am holding off until then I think, once I've decided where everything will go in the new place. For the moment, LMS seems to do most of what I need at zero cost (and so far, very reliably.)
fancied trying roon but the app required a 64 bit ipad so it wouldnt work with my ip04. still to try it. audirvana needs a 64 bit pc but not on ipad.
fancied trying roon but the app required a 64 bit ipad so it wouldnt work with my ip04. still to try it. audirvana needs a 64 bit pc but not on ipad.
I don't have a 64 bit iPad for remote control. So I either use a laptop as the remote controller, my phone or RDP on the iPad.
Roon comes in 4 parts - a server, a player and a controller as well as Bridge. The first three can be combined in one piece or split up (depends on your use case). Bridge is a simple piece of software allowing an end point (e.g low powered computer) to be 'seen' by Roon Server. The controller can be mounted on pretty much anything (excepting 32 bit iPads as mentioned).
I see. I think [emoji848]
Ps AV is being updated free to 3.5 which will be same on windoz and macs.
Mid July AFAIK. Be interesting to see how it affects things.
So I installed LMS and Squeezelite-x and got as far as Alex did. Essentially I can't see Tidal in the menu structure. Local files play just fine (although I had to skip LMS indexing all my tracks as it would have taken days probably).
My username sticks in all three places (web, lms and squeezelite).
Judging from fora it seems that one has to go to the 'player' settings to adjust the menu (and presumably add 'My Apps'). But there is no obvious way of doing this. I added the BBC app and that as well is not seen in the player (squeezelite) menu. The only item in the menu (under the spotty icon) is 'my apps' - but that simply links to my account on the web.
I see the same screens that Alex put up earlier.
:confused:
So I installed LMS and Squeezelite-x and got as far as Alex did. Essentially I can't see Tidal in the menu structure. Local files play just fine (although I had to skip LMS indexing all my tracks as it would have taken days probably).
My username sticks in all three places (web, lms and squeezelite).
Judging from fora it seems that one has to go to the 'player' settings to adjust the menu (and presumably add 'My Apps'). But there is no obvious way of doing this. I added the BBC app and that as well is not seen in the player (squeezelite) menu. The only item in the menu (under the spotty icon) is 'my apps' - but that simply links to my account on the web.
I see the same screens that Alex put up earlier.
:confused:
Thanks for confirming I’m not completely mad Edward! Suspect Chris is right and you can only link your Tidal account to a physical player. Will have to do some more googling...
I assume that LMS broadcasts to the various players what menu structure the player should display. Similar to a DLNA server where it is easy to define the menu structure (what is included, what is not and what ordering it is). I spent some time within the LMS server settings but could not find any obvious way the menu items are defined.
Anyway lets see if something turns up.
Back to Roon. :)
Stratmangler
24-06-2019, 20:57
Well Gents, I have been playing music from Tidal on my laptop using Squeezelite-X.
You need to define which server to use, which is the IP of the machine running LMS, and the :9000 is automatically added.
You also need to name your player (in my case it's Floppsy, but other names may appeal to you).
https://i.postimg.cc/sXDLYNMz/Squeezelite-X.png
Hmmm .. Mine looks pretty much like yours. I used, like you, thw IP address of the host LMS is on and the player name matches up.
What does the menu in your player look like - where Tidal is mentioned?
Was the Tidal 'my apps' within mysqueeze org the same as Alex had?
:confused:
ps: do you have other players defined as Peter, Cottontail and Mopsy? :lol:
Stratmangler
24-06-2019, 21:43
Here's what's at the mysqueezebox.com end
https://i.postimg.cc/cWhkp1Yp/MySQ.png
and here's the LMS interface
https://i.postimg.cc/pXfzYXzf/LMS-interface.png
I didn't use the IP address originally, but changing it, doesn't make any difference either. :(
Chris, that is very helpful. You are somehow able to get to 'player settings' for Tidal. Both Alex and I can't get to that - it is simply blank.
Thanks for putting that screen up, I'm sure that is the area we need to focus on.
E
Stratmangler
24-06-2019, 22:32
The trick is getting the LMS installation and mysb.com to talk to each other, and once they do it falls into place.
Stratmangler
25-06-2019, 08:19
https://i.imgur.com/2mxEfo0.png
Am I doing something obviously wrong?
That box in my installation shows a line of asterisks.
Thanks Chris - that's what I would have expected, and I think that is the problem - for whatever reason, our installs of LMS won't authenticate with mysqueezebox.com. That's what I'll look into further. Thanks again for all your effort and time - much appreciated.
Stratmangler
25-06-2019, 09:44
Thanks Chris - that's what I would have expected, and I think that is the problem - for whatever reason, our installs of LMS won't authenticate with mysqueezebox.com. That's what I'll look into further. Thanks again for all your effort and time - much appreciated.
If you can get Squeezelite-X to show itself as a player in LMS on the players dropdown list, then that player should automatically appear on the list at mysqueezebox.com, dependent upon getting LMS to sync with mysqueezebox.com
There's a lot to string together.
Getting the Squeezelite player to be seen properly by LMS is probably the first thing to establish.
LMS Sees all the players - Squeezelite x 4 now, and 1 x SB Player (android) in the players list. I'm sure LMS just isn't synching with mysqueezebox.com - based on the blank password when applied, whereas you have the dots.
https://i.imgur.com/maur9Hx.png
Stratmangler
25-06-2019, 10:22
I decided to set up another LMS server to see if there's an issue with the Squeezelite-X player being seen on a Windows installation (my usual server is on a RasPi running piCorePlayer).
Having set up the new server I have pointed the Squeezelite-X player at the Windows LMS server, and the Squeezelite-X player shows up in the players dropdown list.
So there's no issue with the player being a software player.
It's recognised regardless of type.
I am playing music from Tidal on my laptop, which is hosting both LMS and Squeezelite-X
Thanks Chris - I'll try installing LMS on one of the other W10 laptops and see what happens.
Stratmangler
25-06-2019, 10:35
LMS Sees all the players - Squeezelite x 4 now, and 1 x SB Player (android) in the players list. I'm sure LMS just isn't synching with mysqueezebox.com - based on the blank password when applied, whereas you have the dots.
https://i.imgur.com/maur9Hx.png
There is something that has just crossed my mind, and that is that some changes come into effect after LMS is restarted.
Sometimes LMS will prompt with a pop-up and activate button, and sometimes it doesn't, but needs a reboot anyway.
If you right click on the LMS icon in the task bar you get the option to turn it LMS off. When the icon is greyed out there's the option to start LMS.
I get plenty of *** in the password field. One time LMS reports that it is not connected to the internet, another time it says invalid username/password. So I reset the password (using the one that is sent to me) which logs me into the web interface just fine. When I use the same password in the LMS control panel it says invalid username/password. When I enter the (new) password in the relevant field in the Player interface it seems to take (when I Apply) but gives no confirmation. So I enter some rubbish in the Player password field and that also seems to take.
Something really funky going on with this. :eyebrows:
For now I'm giving up on this - for me it was just to see what all the positive fuss on LMS etc was all about.
It is definitely a problem validating with mysqueezebox.com. Deleted my first account, setup another, and validated with the email. Installed on a clean laptop, and it is at the point in Control Panel where it won't accept the credentials, and eventually fails:
https://i.imgur.com/IFSKoqK.png
It leaves the credential details in there, giving the impression that it is all setup, but as you can't see players in mysqueezebox.com, clearly hasn't validated.
I think I will have to try and raise this with Logitech support - as Edward is getting the same errors it is likely an issue their end with new account validation I suspect.
For now I'm giving up on this - for me it was just to see what all the positive fuss on LMS etc was all about.
It's become a mission for me now - not giving up!
I think I will have to try and raise this with Logitech support
Ok, maybe not!
https://i.imgur.com/wWL94A7.png
Guess it's end of life, and no longer supported. :(
Not been supported by Logitech for about 5 years.
Stratmangler
25-06-2019, 12:09
I wonder if it's a control panel problem?
I don't use it myself.
You can access the web control by typing the IP address of the machine running LMS followed with :9000 into the address bar.
Click the settings button down at the bottom right of the page, and it opens up another tab with settings.
https://i.postimg.cc/TxzXTcHg/LMS-web-control.png
https://i.postimg.cc/TGVBfvbv/mysqueezebox-credentials.png
I wonder if it's a control panel problem?
I don't use it myself.
You can access the web control by typing the IP address of the machine running LMS followed with :9000 into the address bar.
Click the settings button down at the bottom right of the page, and it opens up another tab with settings.
That's the one that shows blank in my screenshot - but you've got "blobs" - if I put in the wrong password there it says "invalid password" - but if I put in the right one, just get a blank box.
It could be that new accounts are no longer supported, which is why you're ok Chris as yours is historical.
Stratmangler
25-06-2019, 12:26
That's the one that shows blank in my screenshot - but you've got "blobs" - if I put in the wrong password there is days "invalid password" - but if I put in the right one, just get a blank box.
It could be that new accounts are no longer supported, which is why you're ok Chris as yours is historical.
That's a very good point.
I'll see if I can create a new account.
Cheers Chris!
Must also apologies to the OP Gary as this has rather taken over his thread about streaming services...
Still, he'll know not to try LMS if he wants Tidal integration!
https://pics.me.me/thumb_its-totally-o-learnabout-garages-fucking-fucked-mate-bigtime-a-4765627.png
Stratmangler
25-06-2019, 16:01
I have 2 Squeezebox Touch players on my network, and they appear to be the key to Tidal access.
If I move the wired player across to another server the Tidal icon appears in the LMS app menu of the new server, and it falls off the previous server.
So it looks like it's hardware related.
It ain't gonna work without at least 1 kosher bit of kit hanging off the network.
There's a thread about software players hammering the mysb servers with conflicts, so it looks like fully software installations are barred access to the mysb servers.
Had I been aware of the issue I'd have kept quiet about the Tidal interfacing thing.
Tidal works fine with a Squeezebox player such as the Touch, but not on an all Squeezelite-X installation.
Just 1 physical player would permit all the software players to work :doh:
Thanks again Chris for taking the time on this. Every day is a school day, and now we know why it isn't playing nicely! I can see why they would do this, being a commercial organisation and not just there to offer free services!
I have an old Roku M1000 in the garage but I'd expect that would be too old - I might give it a go though, just in case. :)
Stratmangler
25-06-2019, 16:51
To be honest I'm surprised that Logitech still pay for the mysb website.
They'll pull the plug sooner or later.
It's been five years since they ceased Squeezebox Touch production.
All the warranty repair stock is long since gone, and they no longer have official tech support for Squeezebox.
The server program currently known as LMS I expect to be around for a fair bit longer - the developers do it for love, not money.
I wonder if it is possible to spoof a hardware device on the LAN?
Or perhaps the author of Squeezelite-x can throw some light on this? He seems to be quite active (https://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?65236-rgdawson)on the slim devices forum.
I have an old Roku M1000 in the garage but I'd expect that would be too old - I might give it a go though, just in case. :)
Close, but no cigar! :(
https://i.imgur.com/SPCkY84.png
Anyone got any experience of a Squeezebox Duet as a transport? Thinking of picking one up which would solve the Tidal integration, but would also free-up a pretty decent laptop being used solely for transport duties, which now I'm using LMS is pretty wasteful as I can control it "headless".
The only problem I have with the Squeezelite-X players is that they need a "back" button - very frustrating - using the web interface solves that, though.
willbewill
27-07-2019, 07:54
I have a duet which works very nicely with Vortexboxes, I also use RPis running Picoreplayer.
Thanks Malcolm. That helps. I'll be using it into my DAC with SPDIF so I can't see how it would be any worse than the laptop, might even be better.
willbewill
27-07-2019, 09:35
Thanks Malcolm. That helps. I'll be using it into my DAC with SPDIF so I can't see how it would be any worse than the laptop, might even be better.
Even the inbuilt DAC is pretty good on the Duet
Stratmangler
27-07-2019, 09:56
The Duet is so called because it was sold as such, and comprised of The Receiver and The Controller.
The Receiver is the bit you'd be hooking up to an external DAC.
It has the same native capabilities as the SB3 (or Classic).
So anything up to 24/48.
The server will downsample anything above this on the fly.
Cheers Chris. Not really that worried about the controller, but it might be easier for the missus! ;). Plus, the receiver looks like it might be trickier to set up on its own and the price of a Duet vs. Receiver on its own isn’t really worth worrying about. That said, not 100% sure what I’m going to do with Tidal as I have hardly used my free trial, and it’s the Masters that really impress, which it looks like won’t work at full Rez with the Duet. Hmmmm. Decisions decisions. Do quite like the idea of something Pi based, but that would be in addition. I guess the luxury of having at least 4 systems setup is plenty of options!
Stratmangler
27-07-2019, 10:19
If you have a RasPi try throwing piCorePlayer onto it.
You can set it up as player or server, or both.
For the complete “Mrs friendly” experience, I’d be looking at an SB3 purely for its display over the Duet.
Into a Dac they’d both sound the same, but the experience is much nicer.
The display can be configured to show VU meters as well, which is very groovy.
The display can be configured to show VU meters as well, which is very groovy.
Now I'm sold on it! :D Cheers Gaz!
Now I'm sold on it! :D Cheers Gaz!
http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/audio/squeezebox/images/VU_Meter2.jpg
:stalks::stalks::stalks::stalks::stalks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_yjE2H1L7E
Great VU meters, slightly dubious music choice though! ;) Funnily enough after a bit of further research I think the Touch might be the one to go for. That's just sealed the deal - thanks Gaz! :)
Pleasure!
Wrote some custom VU meters back in the day for the SB Touch, it’s genuinely amazing kit..dafuq were Logitech thinking?
Sean Adams, where are you...?
As always...genuinely...hope my ramblings here help someone.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.